But they were all back with a vengeance during McCain/Palin events on the campaign trail a day later. The McCain campaign produced a web ad hitting Obama for his ties to Ayers. The difference is that a web ad costs nothing to get on the air, they email supporters who watch it to their heart’s content and the talking heads on cable will play it because it gives them something to talk about. This gives the McCain the best of both worlds – they get the Ayers message out to a wider audience while at the same time they don’t have to spend any money to get a full-fledged ad on the air. Note that the web ad includes the requisite “I’m John McCain and I approve this message” disclaimer so he does put his own name and image behind this attack.

It looks as if the Obama campaign is now trying a new strategy to get under McCain’s skin in the runup to the third debate: question his manhood.

“I am surprised that, you know, we’ve been seeing some pretty over-the-top attacks coming out of the McCain campaign over the last several days, that he wasn’t willing to say it to my face. But I guess we’ve got one last debate. So presumably, if he ends up feeling that he needs to, he will raise it during the debate.”

“All of the things they said about Barack Obama…on the TV, at their rallies, and now on YouTube, and everything else they’re doing before the debate, all the things they’re saying after the debate as recently as this morning, John McCain could not bring himself to look Barack Obama in the eye and say the same things to him,” said Biden.

This puts McCain into a box. Obama and Biden have thrown down the gauntlet and essentially dared him to bring up the subject(s) during the final presidential debate. If McCain goes there, he gives Obama an opening to defend himself and bring up the subject of McCain’s relationship with Charles Keating before a nationally televised audience of millions. If McCain ignores the subject, it will be seen as backing down from Obama’s challenge or disassociating himself from the attacks being done by supporters in his name.